Giovanna Battaglia-The Maker, The Model, The Muse

Giovanna Battaglia is an internationally known style muse, not solely due to the fact that this Italian born beauty is fashion savvy, but also because she's also an extremely talented editor.  Having transitioned from a career in modeling to writing for a notable publication at the ripe old age of 28, Giovanna landed an opportunity to head the fashion editorial team at L'Uomo Vogue, an Italian publication dedicated to menswear and male interest cultural activities.  Since then, she's become a familiar face on the street style scene, being shot by numerous noteworthy photographers during fashion week.  Giovanna has also parlayed her experience at L'Uomo Vogue into a recurring contributing editor role for W magazine.  What I admire about her aesthetic is that she's a subtle risk taker, and by that, I mean, that's she not afraid of color or bright accessories but she's always put together in a classically feminine way.  Her sense of dress is easy to interoperate; although, her beauty and intellect are hard to imitate.

Q&A With Emerging Accessories Designer, Victoria Horning!

Victoria Horning may be petite and somewhat demure, but do not underestimate her ability to pound the New York pavement, and transform her dreams of becoming a successful designer, into a reality.  She is a San Francisco native who migrated to the raucous 'Big Apple' to complete her undergraduate studies at prestigious, New York University.  While there, she took advantage of their study abroad programs and spent some time navigating through Florence and Paris.  It was in these European metropolises that she really developed her composition aesthetic and became impassioned with becoming a designer.

After graduation, she decided to further her education in footwear design at the Ars Sutoria school in Milan.  It was here where she perfected her pattern making and technical skills.  Returning to New York with an arsenal of knowledge, Victoria introduced a successful accessories line that was locally produced and made with Italian sourced materials.  Riding on the success of her first parlay into the fashion design realm, she decided to expand on her brand by launching a collection of Italian made shoes. 

Victoria, is a seasoned professional, and has an impressive fashion-based background. Her resume includes internships at coveted companies like: Vogue, Nina Ricci, and Alexander Wang.  Most recently, she was an assistant footwear designer at J. Crew, having helped curate the women's Spring '13 collection. 

I met Victoria, via way of a mutual friend, and she was kind enough to let me ask her some questions about her creative process, the recent launch of her footwear line, and how she sees her brand evolving in the near future.

See what she had to say...